


Plan B

by six4au



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Jedi Ben Solo, Mild Smut, Smut, The Force Ships It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:39:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17174300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/six4au/pseuds/six4au
Summary: Tiara_of_Sapphires asked for "Senator!Rey and Jedi!Ben AU where Rey gets kidnapped for ransom," with some banter and awkward, socially stunted Ben Solo, as well as some good hand-holding and/or forehead kissing action. Hopefully this is lighthearted enough to at least give everyone a bit of a smile. That said, it is unbeta'd, so if it doesn't, that's no one's fault but mine.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tiara_of_Sapphires](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiara_of_Sapphires/gifts).



> I now understand why people write in these things that they have disappointed their friends, their families, and their cats. If I had a cat, rest assured it would be very, very disappointed.

Ben Solo was late. It wasn’t his fault, really. The Trandoshan driving the speeder-for-hire that was supposed to take him to Hosnia Spaceport had ducked into every blind alley, caught every traffic signal, and nearly hit every obstacle on the way to the ‘Port. _Don’t worry_ , the reptilian driver had said, _I know every shortcut._ Ben should have known better—hadn’t Uncle Chewie taught him never to trust a Trandoshan? He’d have gotten there faster if he had simply _stolen_ a speeder. Then maybe he wouldn’t have been late for his flight on the main transport to Jakku.

Of course, if Ben hadn’t spent most of the night at the _Slug & Chain_ with Lon and Dola Calrissian, he might have rolled out of bed just that much sooner. The twins had created a small empire of clubs in various cities—Londa was the brains, and Dolan was the charm. Among other revenue streams, the _Slug_ hosted a prestigious Sabacc tournament every single year. The buy-in was eye-popping, the payout prodigious, and the profits for CalCorp were astronomical. Whole cities had changed hands because of the _Slug Sabacc Intergalactic._ Ben was just helping out some old friends by providing an extra bit of security, and some clandestine _monitoring_ to make sure no one cheated.

He had thrown out two humans, a Bothan, and a particularly innovative gang of Twi’leks, who had somehow managed to situate themselves at three separate tables and were using their _lekku_ to signal to each other. In exchange for his services, the Calrissian twins provided him with a wealth of good information, some of which was even relevant to his current mission.

Needless to say, Master Luke would have disapproved of his arrangement. Then again, Master Luke didn’t approve of much that Ben did, and what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. That disapproval was why Ben was still technically an apprentice so many years into his Jedi training, though. This mission was an act of trust on his Uncle’s part, and Ben had already screwed it up royally.

Which was why he was standing in line, trying to reason with a particularly obstinate space transport employee. “Look, I have a ticket right here, see?” Ben showed his flight credentials and boarding pass. 

“Economy boarding ended an hour ago,” said the Rodian in a bored voice. “Only VIPs can board now. No exceptions.”

“Well, so give me a VIP ticket,” said Ben. It would be expensive, but he still had money in the fund his mother had set up at his birth. He could cover it and his uncle would never know about the mishap. Except that Luke Skywalker had a way of knowing everything.

“There’s only one left and it’s being held for an actual VIP,” said the Rodian.

Ben sighed. It was time to bring out the big guns. He reached out with the Force and said, “I am an actual VIP. You will sell that ticket to me.”

Thankfully the ticket agent was not particularly strong minded. “Name?” she asked.

“Ben Solo,” he said.

“I’m already showing a ticket for a Ben Solo,” said the agent. Her tone was suspicious, now.

Ben panicked. He needed to be on that transport.

He glanced around the spaceport, his eyes falling on a holographic projection of a masked knight outside a run-down shop. _BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND_ , read the marquee underneath. _KYLO REN in DESERT DEEP DIVE!!!_

“Kylo Ren! My name is Kylo Ren,” he said, pushing as strongly with the Force as he dared. 

The Rodian looked at him oddly, but typed in his chosen alias. His holopad beeped, indicating that the ticket had been transferred. The agent opened her mouth, seeming as though she wanted to ask him something, then abruptly said, “Have a good flight.” He thought she might have been blushing.

Ben shook his head. Pseudonyms were not new to him. He nearly always used a fake name when traveling, anyway. It wasn’t exactly convenient to have a mother who was a powerful Senator or a father who was well known both for being a hero of the Rebellion, and for swindling half the galaxy. It wasn’t exactly convenient to have a grandfather who was one of the greatest mass-murderers in galactic history, either, but he wasn’t worried about being recognized for that one. 

Ben had been scrutinized since birth, his parents and his Uncle all looking for signs that he was going to turn into Anakin Skywalker. While Luke Skywalker’s connection to Darth Vader was known, his family had managed to keep Leia’s heritage a secret. So far as the galaxy knew, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were great friends from their time fighting for the Rebellion. If the true story of her parentage ever got out, it could threaten the legitimacy of her work in the government. 

Thus, the second Ben had shown signs of Force sensitivity, he had been sent to train with his uncle. He shook his head. He had loved some of his training, but he wondered daily if Luke’s lifestyle of self-sacrifice and asceticism was for him. Sometimes he had thought of simply running off to make a name for himself out past the Outer Rim, somewhere away from his entire family. The family that had committed him to a life devoid of personal attachments before he had even had a chance to experience… well, anything really. 

Someone grabbed his arm, jerking him out of his reverie. “You stole my ticket,” said an angry female voice. Ben turned to see his accuser and felt his breath catch in his throat. The woman was some years younger than him, with dark hair pulled back into a messy bun and large hazel eyes. And she was magnificently furious. So much so that, if he was reading the Force correctly, she actually wanted to kill him.

“It’s not my fault,” he said, doing his best to look innocent, especially since it _absolutely was_ his fault. “I’m a VIP.”

It was the spaceport announcement system that saved him from what would possibly have been an ugly death. _VIP boarding for Jakku Flight 1737, last boarding call for Jakku_ rang out over the gate area.

“Sounds like they’re calling my flight,” he said. “Better luck next time, sweetheart.”

The last thing he heard as he boarded was a curse, and something that sounded like, “I am _not_ your sweetheart!”

Once on board, he stowed his satchel in his berth, grabbed his holopad, and headed to the ship’s bar. The setup was surprisingly modern, and the droid on duty offered him a list of available options. “I’ll have a glass of the ‘22 Rodian red,” he said, and pulled up the mission dossier on his holopad.

Senator Leia Organa had caught rumors of a potential plot to kidnap the new Senator from Jakku, and Luke had sent Ben to investigate and offer the woman Jedi protection. Ben hadn’t even been aware that there _was_ a Senator from Jakku. If there hadn’t been a battle there at the close of the war, he wouldn’t have even been aware there was a _Jakku_. But as far as he had known, there was nothing there but a starship graveyard. He thought one race or other might have been using it as a penal colony, but Jakku had never really been on his radar.

The information his mother had sent told a different story. Apparently Jakku had a Senator, and a government, and a thriving rare metals trade focused on something called _Jakkuvium_. The Senator, Rey Seti-Jakku, was a revolutionary leader. When it had been discovered that _Jakkuvium_ increased the tensile strength of other metals a hundredfold, Jakku suddenly became interesting to the rest of the galaxy. 

The Senator had led a populist revolt that overthrew the Crolute gangster who had been running the place. The rebels had then successfully defended the planet against corporate colonization. As a result, the profits from the burgeoning _Jakkuvium_ trade belonged to the people of Jakku, which had gone from neglected backwater to wealthy potential trading partner in the blink of an eye. 

The Senator was revered as a great leader. And now, someone wanted to kidnap her.

Ben had looked for a picture in the dossier, but had found only a few holos that were obviously taken during the uprising: a picture of a victorious crowd of bedraggled fighters celebrating with weapons held high, and a single frame of a figure covered head to toe in sand gear, with goggles obstructing a face wrapped in protective cloth to keep out the sand. 

He took a sip of his wine. He had confirmed last night that the Senator had some enemies, mostly corporate types and gangsters who resented the loss of profits she had engineered with her revolt. But it hadn’t been clear to any of his sources how well developed the plot was. He had just taken another sip of his wine when he heard an angry voice at his shoulder say, “So glad you made the flight, _VIP_.”

“Oh, hey. _You_ ,” he said, recognizing the woman from the spaceport instantly. His collar suddenly felt very restrictive. 

“I don’t know who you think you are, you utter Bantha-shagging nerfherder!”

“I.. um, bet you’re surprised to see me here.”

“Actually I’m surprised the starliner didn’t make you buy out the entire flight to fit your ego,” she snapped.

Something was tugging at his senses. It was somehow _not alright_ that this woman thought he was… a _Bantha-shagging nerfherder_. “Listen,” he said, summoning his best Han Solo smile. “I’m glad you made the flight after all. Can I buy you a drink to make up for the inconvenience?”

She glared at him again, and something sharp and pleasant twisted deep within his gut. Catching the bartender droid’s eye she snapped out, “Corellian whiskey. And I’ll know if you try and serve me that Rancor piss up on the shelf over there. I want the good stuff.”

“I’m Ben, by the way,” said Ben, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be traveling under an alias. Quickly, he added, “But most people know me as… Kylo Ren.”

She laughed and put a hand delicately over her mouth. “Do they? Are they mocking you for some reason? Besides the obvious, of course.”

Ben scowled, offended. “I’m actually a very famous holovid actor,” he said, for once in his life annoyed that the notoriety that seemed to stalk his family everywhere was of no use to him here. “Something of a star.” He actually had no idea whether Kylo Ren was a star or not, but the marquee _had_ said ‘popular demand.’

This seemed to send her into paroxysms of mirth, which at least she kept quiet. “Right,” she said. “So you’re saying that in a moment, you’re going to be surrounded by adoring fans squealing _‘Oh my stars, it’s Kylo Ren!’_ I’ll believe that when I see it, _Ben_.”

His eyes narrowed and he ran his tongue along his front teeth in thought. He glanced around the room and sent the lightest of Force suggestions: _Famous holovid star Kylo Ren is sitting at the bar. You should see if you can get his autograph._ It wasn’t the same as a full Jedi mind trick in the sense that it didn’t convince someone to do the opposite of what they wanted to do. It was just a gentle suggestion that only worked on minds that were bored or open in some other way. It was the Force equivalent of distracting someone by suggesting they had forgotten their keycard. Master Luke would definitely _not_ approve of his using it this way.

“You know, I haven’t gotten your name yet,” he said, with a touch of petulance as his nemesis knocked back her whiskey.

Her eyes narrowed. “It’s Kira,” she said, flagging down the bartender again. “I’ll have another,” she said. “On him.”

He nodded to the droid, a small smile turning up his mouth at the corner. He took another sip of his wine and felt a tap on his shoulder. Two young women were standing there, with holopads out. “Are you really Kylo Ren?” gushed one. The other said excitedly, “Can we please have your autograph?”

“My pleasure,” he said with a smirk, noticing that Kira’s jaw had dropped.

As soon as he had sent the happy fans on their way with their autographs, another woman approached. This one was tall, with black hair, a professionally done face, and long legs enhanced by sharp heels.

“Kylo Ren,” she said in a voice that he thought was meant to be seductive. “I must say, you’re better looking than I expected you to be. They really shouldn’t hide all this behind that costume in your films.”

Ben flushed. “Uh, thanks.” 

“I’m Bazine,” she said holding out her hand for him to shake. 

“Always nice to meet a fan,” he said awkwardly. He quickly took another gulp of wine to mask his discomfort.

“I can’t believe you’re actually real. I thought a dick like that would have been computer generated for sure.”

He promptly sprayed the wine all over the bar.

“You’re a… holoporn star?” asked Kira, her voice getting rather squeaky on the end.

Bazine smiled at her as if the other woman was a small child. “You didn’t know? Oh, honey, you don’t know what you’re missing. He has hundreds of vids.” She turned to Ben who was still trying to catch his breath. “I honestly don’t know how you have the stamina for all of those,” she leaned in toward his ear, “but I’d love to find out.”

“Excuse me,” said Kira, coldly. “But Mr. Ren and I are having an important business meeting, regarding filming locations on Jakku. We can’t afford any more interruptions. You’ve got what you wanted. Please leave.”

“Oh, I haven’t gotten what I wanted yet,” said Bazine, leaning closer to Ben, who now had his back plastered against the bar in utter mortification.

“Yes you have,” said Kira firmly, and there was something in her voice that made him look at her in surprise. “And you can’t wait to tell the entire galaxy how good it was.”

The woman stepped away, a dreamy look in her eyes. “You’re right. I can’t wait,” she said.

Ben passed a hand over his face, willing his cheeks to go back to their normal color. Leave it to him to create a mess like this. “Thanks for that,” he said, daring to glance back up at Kira.

“Anything for a Very Important Porn star, I suppose,” she said, with a glint of mischief in her lovely eyes.

Before he could respond, he felt a hard tap on his back. This time a wrinkled old woman with a cane stood behind him.

“Are you Kylo Ren?” asked the woman.

He guessed his suggestion had lasted longer than he thought, or else this woman was very slow. He put on his most charming smile. “Yes, I am.”

“I can’t believe you’re peddling that filth to impressionable young women!” snapped the woman, snatching up his glass of wine and tossing the liquid in his face. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you monster!”

Across from him, Kira erupted in peals of laughter as the woman stalked away. “I guess she’s not a fan,” she gasped out finally, overwhelmed with giggles.

Ben brushed off his cheeks, but it was no use. He was a mess. He stood to leave, having had enough of this game. He’d made a complete fool of himself, and it was a fantasy to think that he could ever have this woman anyway. Not with what _his_ future held. “Listen, it’s been nice talking to you Kira, but I’m going to go get cleaned up,” he said, trying to hold onto the last shreds of his dignity.

“Oh, hey, don’t go,” she said, reaching out to him. For just a moment, their fingertips brushed. Something electric coursed through his entire body. She snatched her hand back, hazel eyes wide with shock.

He knew he should move, or sit back down, or do something. He reached out with the Force, looking for any kind of guidance, but all he could feel was her, resplendent with light side energy, shot through with a dark vein of desire. He held out his hand to her. “Join me,” he said softly. “Please.”

******  
The berth was small, but it didn’t matter much as he pressed her roughly against the back of the door. Her mouth was trailing down his jaw, sucking drops of high-end Rodian red wine from his neck. 

_Just once_ , he told himself. _Just this once and I’ll carry it with me always._ Slowly, he raised her hands above her head, catching her delicate wrists with one large hand. He slid the other down her tunic, a simple wrapped garment that he was able to loosen just by pulling the tie on her right. 

“Tell me to stop, Kira,” he said hoarsely. “ _Maker_ , please tell me to stop.”

She looked up at him, hair disheveled, mouth swollen from his kisses, and he had never seen a more breathtaking view. “I don’t want you to stop,” she said. “I don’t know what this is, or why we feel this way, but I know I don’t want you to stop.”

Incredulous, he studied her face for a moment, but all he could see there was his own desire, echoed in her eyes. Unable to hold back anymore, Ben pressed his mouth to her perfect throat marking her with lips and teeth, wanting to make so clear a claim that even if he never saw her again, her own reflection in a mirror would declare that she belonged to him.

He felt her tugging on his shirt and paused for a moment to toss it back over his head.

“Oh, wow,” she said softly, and something in her tone made him blush. “You really are something, Kylo Ren.”

He flinched at the name. It sounded so wrong, coming from her. “Ben, please.”

She brushed her hand against his cheek. “Ben,” she said with a genuine smile.

He dropped to his knees, as if his legs couldn’t hold him anymore. Pushing her tunic out of the way, he smoothed his hands over her sides and buried his face in the soft skin of her lower abdomen. He stayed that way for just a moment, until he felt her hands combing gently through his hair. Then, he slowly trailed his fingers down to the waistband of her leggings, tugging them down along with her undergarments. 

With trembling fingers he began to explore her pussy, brushing over the delicate curls to find her center. “Ah Force! You’re so wet,” he moaned.

She gasped and tugged on his hair. “Ben, fingers inside…please.”

Gently, he circled just the tip of his finger around her. She whimpered, and he looked up at her, a lopsided smile on his face. Slowly, he slid his finger into her wet heat. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she bit her lower lip in pleasure as he began to stroke inside her. He reached out with the Force again to gauge her reactions. There was an area just inside that made tendrils of pleasure curl along her Force signature, and she whimpered his name when he pressed against it.

“More, please Ben,” she said faintly.

He drew his finger out briefly, then slid it back inside, along with another. She cried out, and the sound went straight to his cock. He placed a hand on the skin of her lower back to steady her as she ground down against his hand. 

“Harder,” she moaned, and his eyes squeezed shut for a moment as he struggled for control. But he increased the pressure on that area that brought her so much pleasure, and buried his mouth in her curls. Gently, he brushed his tongue over the taut bud of her clit. Once, twice, again. He felt it in the Force when she shattered around him, a wave of pleasure followed by a series of aftershocks that left her slumped against the door, gasping for breath.

He looked up at her face, absolutely gorgeous in the aftermath, and savored the taste of her pleasure on his tongue.

_Remember it_ , he thought to himself. _Keep it forever_.

“You’re shaking,” she said, finally, when she had come down from her high.

“Am I?” he whispered.

She trailed her hand down the side of his cheek, her expression unreadable. “There’s something about you, Ben. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t think I’ll ever find it again.”

“Ki-,” he started, but she put her hand over his mouth. “I think I like it when you call me sweetheart after all,” she said, drawing him to his feet and pressing him down on the bed.

“Anything you want, sweetheart,” he replied. 

She shed her remaining clothes and then got to work on the fastenings for his pants. He helped her slide them down, and, with some effort kicked off his boots along with the pants.

He saw that mischief in her eyes again, and her mouth curled up in a slow smile. “Hmm,” she said. “Doesn’t look computer generated to me.”

He felt his face go bright red. She laughed softly, positioning herself over him, and suddenly embarrassment was the furthest thing from his mind. His hands trailed over her hips, gripping tightly as she slid down, taking him inside with a long, slow stroke.

This… this was like absolutely nothing he had ever felt before. This was- 

Okay, conscious thought had clearly failed him. He was pretty sure unconscious thought was about to go next.

“Ben,” she said softly. “Breathe.”

He nodded and took a breath as she began to move on top of him. He could see the outline of her breasts in the faint artificial light in the cabin, and he reached up to cup them with both hands, thumbs brushing over her nipples. “Beautiful,” he whispered.

She whimpered in pleasure and he thrust up with his hips, burying himself as deep inside her as he could go. The Force was surging around them and he was helpless against it. “Sweetheart,” he moaned, “I’m not going to last—”

He watched in complete awe as she slipped her hand between them, her fingers brushing against her clit and his cock at the same time as he bucked into her. She shouted something like a curse, and possibly his name, and then he felt her tighten around him. He lost his last thread of control then, grabbing her hips tightly, grinding her down onto him as he spent himself inside her. 

It was a long time before either of them could move again.

“ _Maker_ ,” he whispered finally, drawing her down on top of him and wrapping his arms around her. He brushed gentle fingers over her lips, kissing her softly. Then he settled her head on his shoulder, one hand combing through her hair.

His last thought before he fell asleep was that he finally understood Anakin Skywalker.

When Ben awoke a few hours later, he was alone. He nodded to himself, swallowing a lump in his throat. If that was all he was allotted, he’d be grateful for it. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself by meditating the way his uncle had taught him. When that didn’t work, he hopped into the fresher and then put his clothes back on. 

Suddenly, something pulled the ship out of hyperspace. Ben’s every sense went on immediate alert. “I have a bad feeling about this,” he said to no one in particular.

Over the loudspeaker, a droning voice said, “Turn over Senator Seti-Jakku and you will all be free to go about your business. If you resist, you will be destroyed.”

“ _Kriff_ ,” he said, snatching up his lightsaber. He hadn’t even known she would be on this flight. The dossier had said she was on Jakku. He carefully stepped out into the corridor just in time to see a set of guards that did not belong there, marching down the hall. The leader had a limp figure in his arms. _Kriff_ , he thought again. This was exactly what he had been sent here to prevent. 

Ben followed as quickly as he could without being seen. He had to get onto their ship before they took off. Finally, the guards reached their destination. They had apparently jammed open one of the emergency hatches. Two of them were now struggling to close it so they could disconnect their ship.

He activated his lightsaber. “Need a hand with that?” he asked.

******

The guard uniform barely fit him, and he was pretty certain anyone he came across would know in short order that he was an imposter. He tapped on the nearest terminal screen and quickly located the Senator’s cell. _Get in, rescue the Senator, get out_ , repeated Ben to himself as he strode down the corridor. 

Eventually, he came to the correct door, pressed the button on the panel and stepped into the room. For an instant, he was taken aback. He had been expecting a small cell. Instead, he found himself in a large, comfortable space almost like a living room, with plush white carpet and a scattering of blue couches arranged spaciously throughout the room. On one side was a bank of windows, showing the glowing green lines of hyperspace. On another was a long wet-bar. And on the last was another door, this one significantly wider than standard.

Before he could take in any more, Ben was knocked flat on his face by a forceful blow to his shoulders. “This is kidnapping! I’ll have you up on charges for this, whoever you are,” said a female voice from the direction of the ceiling. He could feel murderous hostility rolling off of her in waves. It was an almost comfortingly familiar feeling.

“My name is Ben Solo,” he said, his voice muffled against the floor. “I’m a Jedi Knight. I’m here to rescue you. Luke Skywalker sent me.”

“Luke Skywalker?” she said, her voice incredulous. And mellifluent. With an accent that he recognized. 

He picked himself up and got to his feet. “Kira?”

She dropped down from the ceiling, where she seemed to have been hanging from an airflow pipe. _How in the name of the Force had she taken the ceiling panel off?_

“You _still_ want to kill me?” he asked. 

“Take your mask off. Slowly,” she said.

“Okay,” he said, carefully undoing the chin strap and lifting the uncomfortable thing over his head.

Angry tears filled her eyes. “This was all a part of a scheme to kidnap me, wasn’t it Kylo Ren?” 

_Oh, please don’t look at me like that, sweetheart. I’m not sure I can bear it._ “No, I can explain,” he said. Except that right now, his brain was so scrambled that he couldn’t explain anything. _Kira… was Senator Seti-Jakku… and she was Force sensitive?_

Suddenly, a slow, booming laugh echoed through the room. Ben’s blood ran cold. He knew what that laugh meant.

“ _Oh kriff_ ,” he said. “My family _hates_ these guys.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who has followed along with this so far! :-) You have delighted this first-timer's heart! And thanks to Tiara_of_Sapphires for her prompt!

Senator Rey Seti-Jakku—‘daughter of Jakku’ in the planet’s ancient language—firmly believed she could surmount any obstacle. She had almost single handedly overthrown Unkar Plutt’s tyranny over trade. And she was the spark that set off the Jakku Resistance movement. Together, the people of Jakku had prevented the planet from becoming just another mine to be sucked empty for corporate profit while those who lived there were tossed away like garbage. Her planet may have been humble, but its soul was fierce and strong as Jakkuvian steel. Rey was proud to be a daughter of Jakku. After all, no one else had ever claimed her as a daughter.

Rey had been looking forward to returning home after her first Senate session had concluded for the cycle. She had won some important concessions from the Wookiee trade representative, in exchange for some preferential rights to Jakkuvium, and an agreement that would bring some necessary supplies to Jakku. And next season, Jakku would host a symposium of scientists from desert planets to discuss agricultural strategies in arid ecosystems. The days of portions were officially over!

So when the dark-haired stranger had snagged the ticket that was supposed to be held for her after she had missed her first flight, she had been furious but undaunted. It had taken some work, and a careful suggestion or two to convince the gate agent to let her on the transport despite her lack of a ticket. Rey hated exposing herself by using her mysterious power that way, but she needed to get home. That power was her darkest secret, something she was afraid would jeopardize her _and_ her planet if anyone found out. She was half afraid it was somehow the basis of the kidnapping plot that Senator Organa had informed her about.

Because of that fear, when she had seen the stranger again on board the ship, she couldn’t help herself. She had only thought chew him out when she confronted him in the bar. She hadn’t expected to share a drink with him, hadn’t expected to find him funny and awkwardly charming. She hadn’t expected a single brief touch from him to reorder her entire understanding of the galaxy. And she _certainly_ hadn’t expected him to kiss her as though she was water in the desert. Or hold her with his eyes as though he was about to be executed, and her face was the last thing he would ever see. 

Now here he was, naked and curled around her on the tiny bed, his cheek pressed into the pillow. He wasn’t handsome the way ordinary men were, Rey thought as she studied him in his sleep. His nose was too large, and his features slightly too incongruous for convention, but he made you want to look at him again. Rey had the feeling that she could look at him for an entire lifetime and not grow tired of his face. She traced a finger over his eyebrow gently, and brushed a lock of dark hair back from his forehead. He mumbled something that sounded like _sweetheart_ in his sleep.

This man had been able to sense that thing inside her, though. She was sure he had felt the power which had simultaneously exhilarated and terrified her since the first time she had tossed a Teedo thief into the side of her AT-AT with her mind. That knowledge made him dangerous, not just to her, but to Jakku. So, instead of burying her face in his shoulder and enjoying the warmth of his arms, she slipped out of his embrace, donned her clothes, and snuck from the room. 

She headed back to the bar and sat down at a table, hoping to pass the rest of the voyage there. The place was quiet, even the droid bartender seeming to be on a break. Rey stared out the viewport, looking at the starlines and longing to be back on Jakku. Everything made sense on Jakku. Life or death decisions were easy like that. Rey wasn’t equipped to handle mysterious dark-eyed strangers—and she’d eat sand if _Kylo Ren_ was his real name—who could touch that thing inside of her that she had only ever thought of as the Light. She felt his Light, too, bright rays peeking through swirling dark clouds inside him. 

Rey shook her head. This was not something she could afford to think about when Jakku’s situation was so delicate. Her planet’s unexpected wealth held great promise, but it had to be handled the right way. She and Prime Minister Sandstorm had so many plans for their world—education, manufacturing, desert farming. Her brother-by-choice had escaped from the clutches of an Imperial outpost and had fought like the X’us’R’iia during the uprising on Jakku, thus earning the name Finn Sandstorm. She and Finn had decided at the very beginning that Jakku’s prosperity wouldn’t rest on mining alone. Together they were slowly implementing their plans to ensure that any benefits would be widely shared among the planet’s inhabitants.

She must have lulled herself to sleep thinking about those plans, although somehow her stranger filtered through her dreams now, helping build a school here, or convert a Star Destroyer to a shipbuilding factory there. They were exploring the old Imperial Base that was rumored to be hidden under the Carbon Ridge when the ship was pulled out of hyperspace, and Rey jolted wide awake. 

Every sense she had was triggering an alarm in her head, and she ducked out of the bar hoping to slip down to the engine room where she could hide. Suddenly the ship was awash with a motley collection of fighters. She tried to find cover, but the corridor was completely blank, until a half dozen of the intruders rounded the corner. She held out her hand and snatched a blaster from one of them, ignoring their shouts of surprise as she ducked into a doorway and began shooting. One went down, and then another, but they just kept coming. She shouted out for help, but something hit her in the back of the head and she collapsed.

She woke up in a gilded cell. 

Rey had come up through life the hard way, and she wasn’t someone who could be fooled by nice trappings. She had shown the door to multiple wealthy businessmen and gangsters who wanted to marry her, thinking that they could somehow secure mining rights on Jakku that way. If that’s why she was in here, someone was going to be very, very sorry. Her surroundings certainly looked like they belonged to wealthy pirate or corporate type, with couches scattered across soft rugs, and a wet-bar lining one wall. The room had two doors, a small one and a very large one, and a single broad window showing that they were stopped somewhere along the hyperlane.

“Well, might as well try the easy route first,” she said. Predictably, neither the small door, nor the large door would budge. She studied the room for a moment, and while there were hiding places, no escape routes immediately jumped out at her. She eyed the ceiling. Most ships hid electrical wiring conduits in the ceilings and floors. Reaching out, she focused on the panel just over the door and wrenched as hard as she could. Rey jumped back as it came free and hit the floor with a loud thump. She grinned at the sight of wires. Wires she understood.

Suddenly, she felt something odd at the edge of her senses. Leaping up as high as she could, she grabbed onto the ceiling panel. It was immediately apparent that there was no way she could fit in the crawlspace, so she used her stomach muscles to draw her legs as far toward her body as possible.

The door opened, and a guard stepped into the room. He was broad, and so tall his helmet almost brushed the bottoms of Rey’s feet as she hung from the ceiling. _Kriff_ , she thought. There was no way this man wouldn’t notice her the second he turned around. Concentrating her energy, she kicked out as hard as she could with her mind and her feet at the same time. The guard sprawled flat on the floor.

“This is kidnapping! I’ll have you up on charges for this, whoever you are,” she snapped, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. She could feel righteous anger flowing through every limb.

“My name is Ben Solo,” said a muffled voice. “I’m a Jedi Knight. I’m here to rescue you. Luke Skywalker sent me.”

“Luke Skywalker?” This guard must have thought she was a real idiot if she was going to believe that one. Why would legendary Jedi Master Luke Skywalker bother himself about her?

Rey got ready to strike again as the guard picked himself up and got to his feet. “Kira?”

She lost her grip on the ceiling in shock. _How could he have called me that? I only gave that name to one person._ Murder was suddenly the best idea she had ever heard. 

“You _still_ want to kill me?” he asked. 

“Take off your mask. Slowly,” she said, needing to be sure before she eviscerated him.

“Okay,” he said, undoing the chin strap and lifting the helmet off with large fingers.

It was him. _Of course_ it was him. She hadn’t been able to trust a single person in her whole life, so of course this was what happened the second she shared a small piece of herself. “This was all a part of a scheme to kidnap me, wasn’t it _Kylo Ren_?” 

“No, I can explain!” 

Rey crossed her arms. She flatly refused to be swayed by anything he said. She certainly wouldn’t be swayed by the pleading look in his gorgeous eyes. Ben, he had said his name was. _Kylo Ren the Betrayer, more like_ , she thought angrily.

A sinister, booming laugh sounded from somewhere, and whatever his name was cursed and said something about his family.

Rey turned to see a giant slug-like creature moving through the large doorway at the far edge of the room on a rolling platform. Guards of various species poured in on either side of him, aiming their blasters and laser rifles right at Rey and her would-be rescuer. She thought she might have heard alleged Jedi Knight Ben Solo mutter, “ _Hutts!_ Why does it always have to be Hutts!”

“Welcome to my ship,” said the creature in Huttese. “I am Tranga. I trust you are finding your accommodations pleasant, Senator?”

“I think I’d prefer to go back to my transport, if it’s all the same to you,” said Rey. “I have places to be, you know.”

Tranga the Hutt laughed again. “You humans are so feisty.” He gestured to his guards and, to Rey’s horror, two of them dragged her closer to the gangster. “You’ll make a perfect wife, and then I will have access to all of the riches of Jakku.”

“Over my dead body,” she said. 

“If it comes to that, but I will see what your planet is willing to pay for ransom first. I am not a complete barbarian.”

“They won’t pay you a single credit. Jakku doesn’t negotiate with gangsters and kidnappers!”

“That would be a shame. You see, I have no intention of giving up without something in return. Destabilizing the government by slaughtering you will be messy, but we do what we must, and the ending is always the same: the riches of your planet belong to us.” The Hutt gestures behind her. “Isn’t that right, young warrior?”

Rey hears an odd sound behind her, a swish followed by a low hum of energy. “We can resolve this peacefully, if you just let us go. But if you don’t want to die slowly, I suggest you refrain from touching her,” said a deep voice behind her. Rey craned her neck to see Kylo Ren—er, _Ben Solo_ —standing there with a lightsaber, the strangely unsteady glow of it sparking blue fire. He stood with the loose fighting stance of a warrior, and there was a promise of destruction in his dark eyes. There was no trace of the awkward, blushing man from last night in him now. _This man_ is _a Jedi Knight_ , she thought. _And I think I could fall for him._

Absurd. She had known him for less than a day, and more than half that time was spent contemplating ways to murder him.

“Open fire,” said Tranga. 

“Okay, Plan B it is,” said Ben, swiftly redirecting the blaster bolts with his lightsaber. “That’s the one where you all die and we escape anyway”—three guards fell to the ground, dead—“in case you were wondering.”

The Hutt roared a string of orders. Right. Not the time to be worrying about her emotional health. Rey shoved both guards holding her away with… with the Force? Was that how she had been doing odd things all her life? She scowled, snagging a blaster from a downed guard, and began shooting, working her way over to Ben. The blaster jammed and she tossed it aside, picking up a spear-like weapon.

“So, Kylo Ren: Jedi Knight and holoporn star,” said Rey conversationally, stabbing her spear straight through the chest of the nearest guard as Ben’s lightsaber cut through two more. “Which one’s the day job?”

“Hey, you weren’t exactly honest with me either, _Kira_ ,” he said, freezing a laser rifle bolt with his left hand, while stabbing his lightsaber through another armored guard with his right. “And it’s Ben!” He let the bolt go, shattering an electrical panel on the far wall and plunging the room into darkness.

She felt a hand close around hers and hoped to the Maker it was his.

_Yes, Senator, it’s me_ , said a voice in her mind. _Head towards the door that Hutt came out of, okay? And watch for stray blaster bolts._

_Got it,_ she said, holding tightly to him as they made their way around the chaos. Hutt was shouting at his guards and she could hear people running around and stumbling into things. A few blaster shots still bathed the room in a bright glow every so often, but for the most part, the shooting had stopped because no one could see anything. 

Suddenly, Ben stopped and let go of her hand. His voice in her head sounded vaguely panicked. _I can’t get the door working. I think I shorted it out with that hit._

_Let me try_ , said Rey. _I’m good with electrical things._

_Here, switch places with me. I’ll guard your back. I grabbed a blaster, but I don’t want to reactivate my saber unless we don’t have a choice._

Rey felt around the electrical panel. _How am I supposed to see these circuits in the dark?_

_Reach out with your feelings. Let the Force guide you._ There was something gentle and affectionate about the way he said it that made Rey bite her lip. This was all _way_ too much. She put those thoughts aside and tried to reach out with her senses as he had suggested. She concentrated on the panel and felt along the wires. Nope. Nope. Definitely not that one, yikes! Aha! The door slid open, flooding the room with light from the corridor.

Rey grabbed Ben’s hand and they dashed out into the ship. Her rescuer seemed to know where he was going, so Rey was content to follow along, just trying to keep up with his long legs. The ship was huge, but finally they made their way into a small hangar for landing scout craft and other auxiliary vehicles. 

“I sure hope he’s got a getaway ship stashed in here somewhere. Ah, here, this’ll do,” said Ben. “It’s a-

“Lancer-class pursuit ship. Seats two crew, class 2 hyperdrive,” she finished. Ben looked impressed. 

She shook her head. “I worked in a salvage yard before I was a revolutionary, you know. Can you fly it?”

“You haven’t figured out who my father was yet,” he said with a smirk. “Get in.”

Ben was already punching the controls by the time she secured the hatch and took the co-pilot’s chair.

“Okay, let’s hope the hyperdrive on this antique still works,” he said as they pulled away from the ship. He studied her face as the computer calculated the jump. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Rey pressed her fingers to her temples. “Don’t,” she said. “Just get me to Jakku in one piece.”

His jaw tightened, and something in his eyes twisted her heart, but Ben nodded once and pressed a few buttons. Starlines lengthened around the ship as they jumped to hyperspace.

For a while, they didn’t speak until finally Rey couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Why?” she asked. 

“Senator, I didn’t know who you were, I swear!”

She shook her head, “I didn’t mean, ‘why me’? I meant, you’re a Jedi… I thought they didn’t… don’t…”

“We don’t. Aren’t supposed to, I mean,” said Ben. He thought carefully for a moment. “It was supposed to be my last mission before taking my final vows. It took me a long time to get to this point. I had a lot of anger about some things, and there were a few other issues that held me back. Master Skywalker saw a darkness in me,” said Ben, and she could sense a bitterness in him at that. “Maybe he was right. But I just wanted the chance to live, the chance to _know_ before leaving anything resembling normal human existence behind forever.”

Rey glanced at him in surprise. “You mean that was your first—”

Ben flushed, looking away from her. “Yes,” he said, his low voice barely a mumble. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be,” said Rey softly. “I wouldn’t change it.”

He looked at her with gratitude. “Neither would I.”

“Can I ask… why are you trying so hard to be a Jedi if it’s not something you want?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, exactly. I like most of my training, working out, puzzling out the mysteries left behind by ancient Jedi and other Force users, learning how to harness the Force. I’m _good_ at that stuff. But the rest is… a lot. The philosophy of it, eschewing all personal attachments, it’s hard. So I want to finish what I started mostly because of my family, I guess.”

“Ben Solo,” she said, contemplating his name. Suddenly, a connection formed in her mind. “You’re Leia Organa’s son with Han Solo?!”

He nodded.

“That must feel like a lot to live up to, especially if Luke Skywalker is your teacher,” she said sympathetically. “I guess that’s the one silver lining of growing up alone—clean slate.”

“Yeah, I guess. My father and I didn’t always get along, but I wouldn’t trade my mother for anything.”

“She’s amazing. She’s been so kind and helpful to me, Ben,” Rey said, realizing she was gushing. He had a bit of a sheepish grin on his face though, so she guessed he didn’t mind that much. “She was the one that first told me about the kidnapping plot.” She blushed, “It’s why I told you my name was Kira.”

He nodded. “It was a good move. But I like Rey better. Or sweetheart,” he said quietly.

“I… I liked that too,” she looked down at her knees, sure that her face was bright red.

She felt him take her hand and press it to his lips reverently. “Ben—"

“There’s something I haven’t told you. About my family, I mean,” he said, still holding on to her hand. “You know the story of Anakin Skywalker, right?”

“He was Luke Skywalker’s father, who turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. And then Luke defeated both Vader and Emperor Palpatine at the Battle of Endor.”

“It was a little more complicated than that, but those are the basics. And you’ve heard of Padmé Amidala of Naboo?”

“Yes, I’ve actually read a lot of her writings on peace, justice, and tolerance. They’re inspirational. She was quite lovely, too.”

“Lovely enough to catch Anakin Skywalker’s eye,” said Ben, his fingers tracing over her palm.

“She was Luke’s mother? I didn’t know that,” said Rey. She wasn’t sure if Ben knew how arousing his gentle exploration of her hand had become, but she didn’t want to draw attention to it lest he stop. 

Ben nodded. “It would have been a big scandal—the Senator and the Jedi—but they kept it as secret as they could. Hardly anybody knew when she gave birth to twins. She died in childbirth.” 

He brushed his lips over the center of her palm, and she made a low, needy sound in the back of her throat. His eyes found hers as his tongue traced a precise line down to the base of her hand. 

_Ah._ He knew. 

She squeezed her thighs together with a shudder as his lips sucked soft kisses onto the sensitive skin of her inner wrist.

She thought he might be trying to distract her. 

_Twins. Luke Skywalker. Anakin. Padmé…_

“Luke Skywalker has a sibling,” she said.

“Very good, Apprentice,” he replied, and there was something vaguely possessive in his tone. 

She refused to be distracted. Absolutely refused. “Han Solo is Luke Skywalker’s-”

“No, not Han Solo,” he said, and his voice was sad.

“Leia,” she gasped, pulling her hand away in surprise. Ben closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Senator Organa is Luke Skywalker’s sister.”

“Yes.”

Rey sat with that for a moment. Leia was the daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. That made Ben their—

“Grandson, yes,” he said.

She scowled. “Don’t do that. Don’t read my mind.”

“You really need to shield your thoughts. You need a teacher, Rey.”

Rey ignored that comment. “Ben, this is… why did you just tell me this?! This is a secret I didn’t need to know!” 

“Didn’t you?” he asked. And then he added, “ _Sweetheart_.”

She understood then. He was letting her know, letting her choose if this went any further based on full information. And if not, at least preparing her so that she wouldn’t be blindsided if any questions did arise. She could see why Leia had kept it quiet. Darth Vader was still spoken of in hushed voices, as if he could somehow rise from the dead and strike people down with his lightsaber if anyone dared to mention him. There were actors in the government, and out of it, who would use the information to try to discredit the Senator. All of her good work could be tainted. And if Ben and Rey embarked on a relationship, the parallels would be obvious, whether anyone knew about his heritage or not.

She understood something else, too. Ben Solo had just placed an incalculable amount of trust in her. He had basically delivered his entire family into her hands. Tears filled her eyes and she took his hand. “Ben,” she said. She couldn’t get any more words out.

“I understand,” he said, as if he had known this was coming all along. He squeezed her hand gently, and let it go. “We’re coming up on Jakku.”

Ben set the aircraft down at Niima Spaceport with a simulator perfect landing. “Welcome home, Senator Rey Seti-Jakku.”

Rey’s thoughts were still swirling, and she was finding it hard to focus. The exhaustion of the entire trip was finally getting to her. She took a shaky breath. “Right. Home.”

Her dear friend Rose Tico met her on the tarmac. Rose and her sister had found refuge and a new start on Jakku after their system had been decimated by an Imperial remnant. Rose was now a close advisor to Jakku’s Senior Council on labor issues, in addition to being Finn’s wife.  
“Rey! You’re _alive_! What happened? Actually, never mind that now. You will _never_ be able to guess who’s here to see you.”

“Senator Seti-Jakku, we’re glad to see you safe,” said a man that she had never seen before. He wore a robe over simple, desert appropriate garments. His beard was trimmed neatly, and his blue eyes were kind, though very serious. Even without the lightsaber, or Ben beside her, Rey suspected she would know who this man was.

“Master Skywalker,” she said formally, trying to hide the Force part of herself as much as possible. “I’d like to commend the Jedi Ben Solo for his quick actions and bravery.”

Skywalker nodded. “Yes, Ben does act quickly. If only he would _think_ just as quickly.”

Rey raised an eyebrow. “Well, either way, his _actions_ saved me from an awful fate. Apparently Tranga the Hutt would like a bride, and access to Jakkuvium. Thanks to Ben he has neither of those things. The people of Jakku owe him a great deal.”

She glanced at Ben and smiled. He looked down at her with a soft expression that she couldn’t quite decipher, but that made warmth blossom inside her.

Luke Skywalker gasped, and Rey blushed as it became clear that he was staring at the bruise on her neck. The one that hadn’t been earned in any skirmish with Hutt guards. 

“No,” he said, and for the first time Rey saw him as the legendary Jedi he was. Somehow the Force had coalesced around him, and his face took on a remote expression, as if he was trying to corral a powerful emotion. “Oh, no. You can’t be serious! Ben, this will set back your training for months. Years even. You have to let go of attachments. You can’t let your passions and emotions control you.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t continue my training, Master Skywalker,” said Ben, every line of him tense with resolve. “Perhaps the path of the Jedi is not for me.”

Luke took a step back in shock. “Ben, you aren’t thinking clearly. You’re once again letting your emotions get in the way of reason! You know that’s not the Jedi way!”

“Of course I know it,” said Ben. “You’ve drilled it into my head ever since I was a child. Along with how inadequate I was as an apprentice, and how much I reminded you of Anakin Skywalker. But I won’t be like him! I won’t try and serve two masters. I’m choosing a different path now!”

“And what will you do? Where will you go? What life is available to a disgraced ex-Jedi apprentice?”

“The one that _I_ choose,” snapped Ben.

“And you think she’s going to want you, with all of the shame and scandal this will bring? You’re naïve, Ben,” said Luke, shaking his head. “The Senator isn’t going to risk her entire career for a pair of pretty eyes.”

Ben’s shoulders hunched, and his jaw trembled. He mumbled something unintelligible.

Rey watched him take a shaky breath, and her heart broke just a little. Clearly the man expected her rejection to be swift, and absolute. “We don’t care much about people’s pasts on Jakku. And we certainly don’t judge them by what their ancestors did,” she said gently. “After all, we were a penal colony for five planets. There’s a home for you on Jakku, if you want it, Ben Solo. Personally, I think a disgraced ex-Jedi apprentice will fit in very nicely with the disgraced ex-stormtrooper we have as Prime Minister.”

Ben looked at her in awe, hope flooding his face. Rey could feel the light flowing through him.

Luke shook his head. “This is not going to go the way you think.” Then he seemed to master himself. “Jedi Apprentice Ben Solo,” he said formally. “Do you wish to renounce your place in the New Jedi Order?”

Ben stood straight, and looked down at his uncle, and former Jedi master. “Yes, I do.” 

“So be it, Ben Solo. You are no longer a Jedi. The doors of the academy are closed to you.” Then Luke Skywalker turned on his heal and walked away from his nephew. Ben watched him go for a few moments, then turned to Rey.

“Did you mean it?” he asked.

She smiled. “Of course. There’s supposedly an old Imperial Base underneath the Carbon Ridge that I’ve been wanting to check out. And if the Hutts are going to be kidnapping me, I’m going to need a competent bodyguard.”

“I think I know someone,” he said, taking her hands and drawing her closer.

“I said a _competent_ bodyguard, Ben. You stole my plane ticket. And pretended to be a _holoporn_ star. And let Tranga the Hutt kidnap me!”

Ben laughed. Then he bent down, as if to whisper in her ear, and said in a low voice, “But I made up for it, didn’t I _sweetheart_?”

“Well…” she trailed off as he caught her mouth in a tender kiss. Rey clasped her hands around his neck, wanting to be as close as possible to him. She reached out with her feelings and sensed the Force, flowing through Ben and through her, and through all the people of Jakku that she had fought so hard for. _Yes_ , she thought, understanding Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker at least a little. _This is worth any risk_.

Ben pulled away first, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close to his chest. “I’ve never felt free before,” he said into her hair. “Thank you.”

They stayed there like that for a long time, content to just hold each other. 

Suddenly, a very official looking Mon Calamari cleared his throat next to them. They both looked up in surprise.

“May I help you?” asked Rey.

“We’re looking for information on a _Kylo Ren_ ,” said the Mon Calamari. 

“Uh…what would you want with him?” asked Ben, rubbing his neck nervously.

“He’s wanted for tax evasion on nine systems,” said the Mon Cal humorlessly.

Rey and Ben looked at each other and pointed left. “He went that way!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not sure if people leave these for copyright reasons or just for the fun of it, but:
> 
> Rodians are these guys (they are NOT faster than Han Solo): http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rodian
> 
> Twi'leks are these folks: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Twi%27lek
> 
> These are Teedos: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Teedo
> 
> X'us'R'iia: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/X%27us%27R%27iia
> 
> Carbon Ridge: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Carbon_Ridge
> 
> Lancer-class pursuit ship: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lancer-class_pursuit_craft

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not that experienced with tagging, so if there is anything that someone thinks should be tagged in this, please let me know in the comments.


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